LOCAL STREETWEAR SERIES: Greater Good

Greater Good has always been one of my personal favorites when it comes to local clothing brands not only because of their high quality products, but also because of their designs: clean, crisp, and classic.

Comparable to brads such as A Kind of Guise, BWGH, I Love Ugly and Saturdays NYC to name a few, Greater Good provides minimalist and tasteful clothing that is both functional and easy to incorporate into one's wardrobe regardless of one's personal style.

I've always been a firm believer in "quality versus quantity", and Greater Good receives my stamp of approval because of its particular attention to craftsmanship and detail. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the brand's name is so fitting.

When I asked brand director Christian Concepcion about it, he said: "Greater Good was born out of the phrase 'for the greater good'. We always wanted to do something for the greater good of things whether it is to build awareness on certain social issues or supporting the local industry and craftsmanship of the Filipino people through a particular medium and we thought clothing would be something interesting. The brand is all about positivity and whatever we aim to do whether in design or creative ideas it is geared towards that mindset. Greater Good is a lifestyle brand designed for the greater good. A clothing label that embodies the “greater good” philosophy of craftsmanship - creating fashion of high quality and comfortable fit without compromising the commitment to environmentally sound techniques. We believe that trends are better curated responsibly and that style is more stylish when sewn with goodness."

A brand that promotes such a positive image truly deserves recognition. Nowdays, many companies are focused solely on the business of "making money", so it's qutie refreshing to find a brand that genuinely cares about its customers as well.

Like any successful company, Greater Good started from humble beginnings. Christian shares that "About less than five years ago Greater Good started out as a graphic t-shirt company. We produced different t-shirt designs by collaborating with different artists. We focused on the platform of social awareness in which we gave a social issue to the artist and he/she would translate it into art with his own perspective and collaborative ideas between the artist and the brand. We had different social issues such as education and the environment to name a few. After a while we decided to shift our efforts in creating a clothing brand focused on the more urban street lifestyle idea expanding product lines beyond our graphic shirts and into more casual and every day type of style. Focused on more basic essentials and functional style with a twist in detail of the product. This brought about different tank tops with pattern prints and pocket tees, woven button down polos with detailed fabric prints and a few accessories such as totes, bags and a few five panel caps. We still didn’t leave behind our graphic shirts and this time-incorporated statement t-shirts with a positive message. We continuously strive to work on more types of lines and just the end of last year we launched our jogger pants both available on twill fabrics and denim fabrics. The growth is still continuous and we look forward to releasing more fresh products to suit the brand image and always make sure to give our consumers quality products."

In a country whose fashion culture is dominated by streetwear, Christian says that Greater Good has no trouble setting itself apart from other brands by emphasizing on their philosophy.

"We stick to our philosophy in how we want the brand to be perceived in terms of quality and design. The products we make are curated to be truly what a Greater Good man would wear: something contemporary with a twist. There is no secret recipe but just creating fresh products we like to wear and what we see our consumers are interested to have on. Taking into consideration every detail because every detail makes up the entire design."

In terms of designing and creating new products, Christian says that Greater Good is far from complacent -- always coming up with fresh ideas and even reconceptualizing older ones to keep things modern.

"We like designing and creating products, it is something we are always keen on doing. Conceptualization, branding and designing are what keeps us moving because these are particularly the things we like to do. We continuously design products and have a library of potential designs and decide when the right time to release them and sometimes we look back at past designs and update them to fit what we think would make it more fresh."

Although there's no denying that Greater Good is comparable to international labels when it comes to quality, the brand still manages to incorporate its Philippines roots in its design aesthetic.

"We are proud to be a brand from the Philippines and made locally and just that our brand was born locally but with the aesthetics comparable to international labels is something great. It is in what we do that we incorporate the Philippine roots and not literally on the design. It is something we may take inspiration from and influence with possibly any of our designs."

"The ideal Greater Good man carries a modern day classic style, timeless with an occasional twist, perfectly curated and he isn't afraid to take a risk or two yet at the same many of his outfits are combed back to basics and has influence and a sense of urban streetwear."